the red hook
Part 7: Fishes, Purple, Tiny... A 60's Tale, page 20
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SKATEPARK DEDICATED page 4
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It happened in Red Hook by Brian Abate
W
hile many Brooklynites associate Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest or fireworks with the Fourth of July, the holiday is also an opportunity to celebrate Fort Defiance.
ANOTHER NEW MURAL page 6
PEOPLE OF
RED HOOK by Lisa Gitlin
DEEP DIVE ON BIDEN/TRUMP page 13
The solid land we know as Red Hook was once pretty much a swamp. In the 1630s Dutch settled in the area and began to turn the marshes into farmland. When the Revolutionary War began, the land was still different than it is today. With fighting already underway in 1776, New York City, specifically Manhattan, was a target for the British, and in response, Washington's trusted advisor, General Nathanael Greene was given the job of buildings forts in Brooklyn in preparation of a Long Island military campaign.
WALKING WITH COFFEE A Tale of Two Kiddies Ok, full disclosure:
I grew up on a block in Brooklyn during the 1950s. In an age before "playdates," I was let out at the age of five to roam one side of the block between 4th and 5 Avenues. (just for the record I have no issue with parents using playdates in the post-Etan
“Fort Greene was at the furthest point to the east,” wrote Suzanne Spellen in a piece for the Brownstoner. “Other forts were planned on down through the Heights, with walls and fortifications built in several places in the Heights and in Cobble Hill. The westernmost fort would be in Red Hook. It was called Fort Defiance.” Fort Defiance was built on the waterfront with a clear view of New York Harbor. It's exact location has been contested (see accompanying story) but it is remembered locally with in Valentino Pier Park. A plaque there states that the fort included “four heavy cannons and a 1,600-foot-long trench along the harbor’s shoreline.” “A few days after the Declaration of Independence British ships, the Phoenix and the Rose sailed from Staten Island, heading up to the Hudson RivPatz world). To entertain myself I was given a red rubber ball manufactured by the Spalding company. On the block they were known as “spalldeens”. My friends and I spent hours just bouncing this thing around. With games like punchball, kings, hit the penny, off the point, we spent the hours between school and the call for dinner. When we were a little older and allowed in the street, stickball took over, played between moving and parked cars. I can’t say how this af-
er,” says redhookwaterfront.com. “The cannon at Fort Defiance opened fire, as did the cannon from Governor’s Island and Fort George. They damaged the ships, which still made their way to Tarrytown, at the Hudson’s widest point, where they attempted to blockade supplies to the city. The ships returned to Staten Island a month later in preparation for what could have been the only large battle of the war.” In August of 1776, more than 30,000 British troops gathered at the entrance of the harbor, including 30 warships and 400 transport ships. After seeing the ships, many New York City residents panicked, and in response, George Washington sent 18,000 soldiers to Manhattan and lands north and east.
(continued on page 17) fected the brains of kids who grew up in this era, but I know the Surgeon General at the time didn’t come out with a proposal to put warning labels on “Spalldeens”. That happened last week when Vivek Murthy, the current Surgeon General, came out in favor of warning labels on smartphones used by children. Apparently, studies show hours spent staring into these handheld portals is having a damaging effect on kids. Mostly in terms of so-
(continued on page 10)